Buried deep in the centre of Christian faith is relentless and thankful worship of Yahweh. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34). Authentic worship does not speak out because it has received all the things it wants, no, worship cannot contain itself because of who God is. Believers worship throughout the highs and lows of life because the nature of Yahweh is unchangeable, and He alone proves to be their one constant in the midst inescapable change. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him (Lamentations 3:22-24).
Jehovah’s persistent and loving mercy never stops doing His work regardless of whether we perceive it or not. Throughout any complaining or ingratitude that we may show towards the Lord, He faithfully continues to administer sufficient and refreshed mercy for the needs of each day; continually reminding us that “I the LORD do not change; therefore you… are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6). The dreadful consequences of our sin are withheld daily because of His immutability. Despite our struggle to acknowledge the active presence of God in life’s difficulties, His loving kindness relentlessly perseveres with us and continues to meet our needs. Not one of salvation’s blessings are lost, our standing in Christ’s righteousness remains unaltered, and the certainty of eternal life is untouched.
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4). Every one of our difficulties presents fresh opportunities for us to speak well of Christ as He proves Peter’s words to be true. Belief in the gospel of God entered us into a divinely appointed relationship that moves our focus onto Christ more than on the world.
As the ugly realities of this sin cursed world become more oppressive, we respond by sharpening our focus on the clarity and sufficiency of Christ as seen in God’s Word. This world’s darkness serves to accentuate the light of Christ brilliantly. Man’s depravity serves to amplify the beauty of gospel truth. May we never forget the core truths which attracted us to Christ; faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
We have a rich legacy of faithful believers who have carried the truth of God down through the ages. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised (Hebrews 11:37-39 NIV). May God enable us to keep a heavenly perspective of our lives in Christ. May we never lose sight of believers in other places who are suffering far greater than we. May we thank God and draw strength from their example as we carry them to God in prayer and look for ways to serve them. And may we see the steadfast love of the Lord in all circumstances pointing to and calling us to our heavenly home.
